Thornhill Lees Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant and Nursery School

Overview

Thornhill Lees Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant and Nursery School continues to be a good school. It provides a "friendly and welcoming environment" where pupils are happy, behave very well, and enjoy learning. Leaders maintain high expectations for pupil achievement and personal development, supported by a strong sense of teamwork among staff.

Strengths

• The school has an "ambitious curriculum" with great emphasis on communication, language, reading, and mathematics.
• Pupils learn to read well, particularly those speaking English as an additional language, due to an embedded phonics scheme and a rich range of books.
• Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported effectively through "carefully considered adaptations" and timely, appropriate help.
• Early years provision prepares children well for key stage 1, with high-quality interactions supporting language development and vocabulary.
• Staff feel valued and supported, with access to training and consideration for workload and well-being.

Areas to improve

• In some foundation subjects, the specific knowledge pupils need to learn and the order in which it is taught is not identified clearly enough, causing pupils to struggle to recall facts. Leaders must ensure curriculum planning in every subject clearly sets out exactly what pupils should know.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.